one person who was close to him said he got the sense that senator obama really wondered if he would be able to continue in politics. >> narrator: and it raised real problems with his wife michelle. >> the bobby rush race was the nadir of the obama marriage. her feeling was, "why are you doing this?" this is the moment when they want two totally different things. you know, barack obama wants political success, and his wife wants a normal life. i asked the president and first lady how long it had taken them to recover from that period, and they said two to three years. so this is a serious toll on their relationship. >> narrator: for mitt romney, growing up in this affluent suburban detroit neighborhood was just about perfect. >> mitt romney did have this rather elite upbringing. a very wealthy community. he is, you know, very well taken care of. >> narrator: mitt was the youngest of four children. >> these are people who just adored their children. and you could see that mitt and his dad had a very special bond. >> the dad stuff just can't be underestimated. george romney comes up ag